To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Journals of the Senate and House of Commons of the General Assembly of North-Carolina at its session in 1830/1831

:i'Ui:'i<NAL bF iiii-. UOLSii Ut' COilMdNS. '249
IheLouii oi PipHS ami Quaiicv Hcssious for the county of Franklin to ap-point
wanlens of (he poor, and to biiikl a poor and work house, and for oth-er
purposes, was ica<i the second and third times, passed and ordered to be
fenrolled.
The lloujc th.cn adjourucl until to-morrov^ morning, 10 o'clock.
WEDNKSDAt^ December ^9, 1830.
Mr. Smith, from the committee of Propositions and Grievances, to whom
kns referred the petition from sundry citizens of Wilkes county, praying
a. repeal of the law imposing a tax on retailers of spiritous liquors, report-ed
that said law is wise and salutary, and ought not to be repealed; and
prayed to be discharged from tlie' further consideration of the subject.
The report was concurred in.
31r. Smith, iroin the same committee, to whom was referred the petition
of Dicey Jackson, of Randolph county, praying to be allowed to retail
spiritous liquors free of tax, reported that it is not expedient to grant the
piayer of tlie petitioner, ajid asked to be discharged from the further con-sideration
of the subject. The report was concurred in.
Mr. Calloway submitted the following resolutions, which were read,
and, onmotion'of Mr. J. A. Hill, laid on the table and ordered to be
printed:
Whereas many of llic new States, through the medium of their Representatives in the Con-gress
of the Ur.iled States, have made and still are making great and unreasonable rcqxiests for
donations and appropriations of the public lands of tlie United States, and as soiHe of the
States have been so extravagant io their requests as to ask Congress to grant them all the pub-lie
lands within their limits without oftering any compensation to the Government for suehdo-naiions
or cessions of the public domain; and v/hereas it is a fact, and must be conceded byall,
that the public domain is the coraraonproperty of all the States and the people thereof, and of
course ought to be regarded as a common fund for the benefit of all, and for the support and
disbursement of our common Government; and whereas our public domain was achieved in
common with our other blessings and liberties by our meinorable revolution, and originally be*
longed to the old States, and was by them ceded to the General Government, for the purpose
of paying the national debt and tlie common expenditures of Government, as ileclared m the
acts of cfcssion by the State Governments, and in which they have retained their inclusive be-nefits;
and whereas no State in the Union has been more liberal in its course towards this Go-vernment
than the Stnte of North Carolina; and whereas she ceded to the General Govern-inent
that fertile region, now the State of Tennessee, which now ranks high in the scale of this
tJnion, for the purposes hereipaiter mentioned and expressly enumerated in ours and the othet
cession acts of the different States; and whereas the Co.ngress of the United States has made
frequent and large appropriations of the public lands of the United States for works of Inter-nal
Improvement and Education, partial and local in their character, and operations believed
by many to be impolitic, and by others to be unconstitutional, thereby subverting the meaning
and intent ^f the cession acts, and especially that made by North Cai'olina:
Tlicrefore be it resolved. That it is the deliberate opinion ol this General Assembly, that
Ihc public domain or lands belonging to the General Government, are, and of right ought to be,
the common property of all the States, and the people's respectively.
Jiesoived further. That it is the opinion of this Legislature, that the public lands of the Uni-»
ted States ought to be held and considered as a common fund for the use and benefit of the U-hitecV
States: And it is further the opinion ot this General Assembly, that sueh parts of the
public domain as have been ceded to the General Government by the different States, and es-pecially
that by North Carolina, ought to have been, and should be applied in accordance with,
the cession acts.
Resnived furtiier. That our Senators in Congress be instructed, and our Representatives ia
Congress be requested to use their exertions to have a fair and equal application of the public
lands, or the proceeds thereof iri the manner herein directed, and that they be instructed to con-sider
the public lands as the common property of the people of these United States, and there-lore
should be applied to their common benefit; and that they be duly apprised of all unreason-able
applications ot any State or district for cessions, donations or appropriations of the public
laml for local or sectional purposes.
Resolved, That the Executive of this State transmit to eafch of our Senators and Represenfaa
lives in Corigress, a copy ot these resolutiosis and preamble, as soon aiS convenieafc
3^